2020 National Championship

Clemson Vs. LSU: 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship Schedule, Odds And Picks Against The SpreadAlex Kay
CFP Championship Clemson LSU Football

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron, left, and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney pose with the trophy after a … [+] news conference for the NCAA College Football Playoff national championship game Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020, in New Orleans. Clemson is scheduled to play LSU on Monday.

The 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship, featuring the LSU Tigers going up against the Clemson Tigers, will take place tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. These two powerhouse programs have claimed three national titles apiece throughout their storied history and will be competing to add a fourth in the final game of the season. Both squads went 14-0 leading up to the national title game, overcoming a myriad of obstacles to reach this point. Clemson has won two of the last three championships and will look to become the first champion to earn back-to-back titles since the College Football Playoff began during the 2014-15 campaign. LSU is trying to run the table in its first ever CFP appearance and is in the running for its first national title since the BCS era, when the school bested Ohio State in the 2008 BCS National Championship Game.

CFP Championship Clemson LSU Football

LSU is favored by five in this game, a line indicative of how great quarterback Joe Burrow has been for the program. The Heisman Trophy winner kept his fantastic season rolling in the CFP semifinals against Oklahoma, torching the Sooners for 493 yards and seven touchdowns—all in the first half, a postseason record—in a 63-28 blowout victory. The signal-caller is now over 5,200 yards and has 55 touchdowns on the year, insane numbers that put Burrow in a class of his own. One thing Burrow doesn’t have, however, is the experience of playing on college football’s biggest stage. Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence possesses exactly that after guiding his Tigers to a national title in his true freshman year. Although he didn’t live up to lofty expectations going into his second year as the program’s starting QB—Lawrence only slightly improved on his passing yardage and touchdown numbers while doubling his interception rate from 2018—he was able to avoid mistakes while accumulating 259 yards and two touchdowns while completing 18-of-33 passes to guide Clemson to a CFP semifinal win over Ohio State and its elite defense. Lawrence knows the stakes and the has proven he can handle the pressure, which could give him an advantage in the quarterback duel for the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Another area where Clemson has an apparent edge in tonight’s contest is on the defensive side of the football. The Tigers allowed just 244.7 yards and 10.6 points per game to opposing offenses this year, which were by far the best marks in college football. LSU’s defense hasn’t been shabby by any means, but did concede an average of 341.3 yards and 21.2 points to the opposition—albeit playing a tougher schedule—during its undefeated campaign. Both sides can claim an elite running back as well, with LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire having just a slightly worse statistical season (1,304 yards, 16 touchdowns) when compared to Clemson’s Travis Etienne (1,536 yards, 18 touchdowns). These backs, in addition to the elite quarterbacks, are why fans will get to see two of the country’s best offenses going head-to-head in the CFP title game. LSU was No. 1 in terms of total yards (564.1) and points (48.9) per game, but Clemson wasn’t far behind at No. 3 in total offense (538.4 yards per game) and No. 4 in scoring (45.3 points per game) in 2019.

Despite the similarities these schools share, the public agrees with the bookmakers assessment that LSU is the better side. After LSU opened as 4.5-point chalk, money began pouring in on those Tigers and caused shops to adjust the line to five. That hasn’t stopped people from taking LSU, evidenced by 63% of all bets and 67% of money wagered against the spread is still on the program to cover as of Monday morning. The total has seen an even bigger shift since opening at 70.5 points, dropping down to 67.5 over the last few days. This change has occurred despite most of the public backing the over, with 61% of tickets and 65% of the handle rooting for a high-scoring affair. The sharp bettors think this one could be a bit more defensive-oriented, however, which is causing sportsbooks to lower the total with kickoff drawing near.

Will LSU continue its magical run by earning a national title for the first time in over a decade, or will Clemson be the better Tigers side and win its third championship in four years with an upset tonight? Pro handicapper Jon Price of SportsInformationTraders.com has sent along his prediction for the outcome and you won’t want to miss who the Vegas expert is picking to win it all. Before getting to Price’s lean, have a look at the full schedule, start time, TV channel, live stream site and updated odds for the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship. You can also find key betting trends, relevant tweets, quotes from star players and coaches, plus more to help you make an informed decision when wagering on this Clemson vs. LSU clash.

College Football Playoff National Championship 2020 Viewing Guide

Clemson owns the best ATS record in college football this year, going 11-3 against the number. LSU went 9-5 ATS in 2019.
LSU went 4-2 ATS against ranked opponents this season, while Clemson was 2-1 ATS in those same games.Eight of Clemson’s 14 games this year have gone UNDER the total. LSU had just five of its 14 contests land UNDER the number.

Clemson is 6-2 SU and 7-1 ATS in eight previous College Football Playoff games, while LSU is 1-0 SU and ATS after it covered against Oklahoma in the semifinal during the school’s first ever CFP appearance.
LSU holds a 2-1 SU edge in the all-time series against Clemson, but did lose 25-24 in their most recent meeting back in the 2012 Chick-Fil-A Bowl.
Clemson hasn’t been an underdog since the 2019 CFP National Championship, a game it outright won 44-16 over Alabama. During the CFP era, the Tigers are 6-4 SU and 8-2 ATS when getting points.
Both teams have been successful at neutral sites in the CFP era, with Clemson boasting a slightly better record at 12-2 SU and ATS compared to LSU at 8-3 SU and ATS.

Favorites have never covered the spread in the championship game during the CFP era, going 0-5 ATS.
The past 12 Heisman winners to play in the national title game—such as LSU’s Joe Burrow this evening—are just 5-7 SU and 3-9 ATS.
Since its inception, the College Football Playoff National Championship has seen an average total of 64.4 points scored. The total for tonight’s matchup is 67.5 points.

Both teams do not lose when their star running back eclipses the 100-yard mark. LSU is a perfect 8-0 SU when Clyde Edwards-Helaire reaches that mark, while Clemson is an incredible 17-0 in contests that Travis Etienne hits triple digits on the ground.
Clemson has gone 9-1 SU in its last 10 against SEC opponents, while LSU is 23-2 over its last 25 meetings with ACC foes.

CFP National Championship 2020 Tweets

ESPN College Football recalled the last time these teams met in the postseason:Ben Fawkes tweeted the latest line movement trends for the title game:Shea Dixon posted quotes from Clemson’s side discussing the difficulty of playing for a national championship in LSU’s backyard:ESPN Stats & Info noted that both Clemson and LSU can make history tonight:Peter Burns doesn’t think Clemson’s experience will help the program defend its title tonight:Julia Morris had Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s thoughts on his LSU counterpart:Jordan Reid revealed a clip that sums up much of what Joe Burrow brings to the table for LSU:2020 College Football Playoff National Championship QuotesQuotes courtesy of ASAP SportsLSU head coach Ed Orgeron was asked about the psychology behind getting his players prepared for tonight’s title tilt:

Yeah, you know, we didn’t talk about going to play for the National Championship. We talked about we have to prepare to beat Clemson, one game at a time, just like we’ve done. We have trusted the process. Today is focus Friday. The guys are getting excited. They are getting antsy. I can feel it. I’m getting antsy, too. But I think we have to continue to work up through game time. They are going to make plays. We’re going to make plays. We have to work for 60 minutes and focus on winning the game and not worry about all the other stuff, block out all the noise just like we did all year.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney responded to a question about preparing for Joe Burrow by comparing him to the quarterback his Tigers bested in last year’s title game:

You just do the best you can. I mean, that’s just kind of — you get to this stage, that’s what — last year we played Alabama, and I think Tua’s completion percentage or his yards per completion was higher, his yards per attempt was higher. He was a freak. And Tua is one of the best players I’ve ever seen, and when you get to this stage, that’s just what you’re going to see. When you get to the Super Bowl, you’re going to see two elite quarterbacks. It’s hard. It’s not easy. So you just — you’ve got to tighten up in everything that you do, and you have to understand that every play matters. You look at our game a couple weeks ago, there’s just maybe three plays, maybe three that we made, maybe three that they didn’t make, whatever. That’s usually what these games come down to, especially when you’ve got two great competitors, two elite quarterbacks leading the show like we’ve got and what they’ve got in Joe Burrow.

Joe Burrow said that he’s looking forward to a “chess match” with Clemson’s defense:

it’s going to be a fun chess match for me. I know they’re going to have something different, some looks that I haven’t seen before. He’s just really good at what he does. That’s why he’s picked so much, and that’s why they’ve won a lot of games. It’s why they’re the No. 1 defense in the country. He’s so good at what he does, showing you one way, blitzing the other. We know they’re going to have something new for us. I’m going to have to read my keys, trust my eyes and understand what they’re trying to do after the first quarter.

Trevor Lawrence was asked about the difference between LSU’s defense and the Ohio State one his Tigers just beat in the CFP semifinals:

There’s a lot of differences, all around the board these guys have more speed, LSU does. That will be a challenge. But they also do a little bit more as far as coverages and mixing things up, disguising than Ohio State did. Ohio State kept it simple but they just did a really good job what they were doing. They were in cover 3 and cover 1, and they threw in a couple different things, but other than that they kept it pretty simple. They were really good at it. LSU, they mix it up a good bit.